An Ogre Surprise
by LadyAlambiel
Summary: When Peter and Edmund receive an Ogre surprise, Edmund's life hangs in the balance.


Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't...

Summary: When Peter and Edmund receive an Ogre surprise, Edmund's life hangs in the balance.

A/N: This is set in my A Light in the Darkness universe and can be read as a standalone. Enjoy!

**An Ogre Surprise  
**

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Peter grinned as he finally found his brother walking along the balcony railing. He stepped into Edmund's line of sight before he spoke, "You know Su will have your head if she catches you doing this...again."

Edmund snorted, "I'm not the one who suggested it last time...and she said _your_ head was going to roll not mine." He hopped off the railing and leaned back against it before giving Peter a contemplative look.

He knew his little brother was planning something that would probably land them in hot water with not only Susan, but also Oreius, and yet Peter still found himself asking, "What do you want to do today, Ed?"

"Let's go exploring."

That didn't sound too dangerous. "Which wing do you want to start with this time?"

Edmund immediately shook his head, "Not the Cair. Let's go explore the woods."

Peter hesitated then a grin slowly appeared, "All right, in any case, it will be more interesting than milling about the Cair all day."

"Ex-actly."

It wasn't until they crouched hidden behind some bushes next to the path that led to the barracks and further down to the stables, waiting for a group of officers to disperse, that Peter asked, "How exactly are we going to get out of the Cair without an escort since Oreius hasn't allowed us to do so in months?"

"Easy, we just need a distraction."

"What's the distraction?"

"I have no idea."

"Wonderful."

"SEPPHORA!"

Peter struggled to keep from laughing as he watched Kat race out of the Cair with Oreius right behind her. Edmund snickered after they passed their hiding spot and had scattered the soldiers who had previously been blocking their own escape, "What do you think she did this time?"

"Well, if I had to hazard a guess, I would say something Oreius took exception to for one reason or another."

"Oh, brilliant deduction, Peter." Edmund nodded toward the now clear path as the soldiers all decided they had somewhere better to be than in range of the General's fury, "Come on." They hurried down the path and quickly saddled their horses. Leading the horses out through one of the smaller side gates, Peter saw Philip gave Edmund a nudge when they stopped just in time to see Kat yell something at Oreius in Irish that caused the General to chase her down toward the beach. Peter just shook his head at Kat's audacity then he urged his horse to catch up with Edmund and Philip.

Three hours later, Peter stared at the large river and wished he'd brought a fishing pole. His stomach growled. Or, just lunch. "Ed?" He turned to see his brother sprawled out on the grass, eyes closed, and he grinned. Oh, this was too good an opportunity to miss. He snuck up behind his brother and pounced, only to grunt when Edmund flipped over onto his back and caught him in the stomach with his feet and tossed him over his head. Peter grinned at his little brother then ran forward and a wrestling match started. Peter laughed as he finally grabbed Edmund in a headlock and rubbed his knuckles against his head.

Philip's alarmed voice suddenly interrupted their play, "My Kings!" Peter looked up in time to see his own horse bolt, squealing in terror. Philip rolled his eyes and danced nervously as he fought the instinct to run. Peter snatched up Rhindon from where he'd leaned it against a tree earlier as Philip neighed then snorted, "Edmund! Look out!"

Peter whipped around, Rhindon at the ready, just in time to see Edmund go flying through the air. "No! Edmuuuuuuund!"

He heard a coarse laugh as the fiend responsible emerged from the trees, an Ogre. One of the largest Peter had seen. The Fell beast scratched himself then pointed a large spiked club at him, "Shall I eat you first? Or, maybe I eat the little dark one and the horse while you watch?"

Peter glared up at him, "Neither." He charged the Ogre, not heeding the spiked club as he dodged to the side and cut a long deep slice into the outside of the Ogre's left leg, just below the knee. The Ogre bellowed in pain and swung his club toward Peter, sinking the spikes deep into the tree he'd ducked behind. The tree trunk shuddered from the force of the blow, but it did not break. Peter raced around to the other side of the trunk. The Ogre was struggling to yank his club free of the trunk. Peter charged, slashing the brute's hamstring. The Ogre bellowed again and attempted to backhand Peter, connecting with his side just hard enough to send him flying.

Peter groaned as he staggered back to his feet and found Rhindon. His ribs were on fire. The Ogre was still trying to yank his club loose, but then he stopped. Horror clenched Peter's heart as he saw the Fell creature turn toward where Edmund was still motionless on the ground with Philip nuzzling his hair and tunic, trying to wake him. No. The Ogre abandoned his club and took one step toward Edmund, dragging his wounded leg. Peter ran forward, letting out a loud war cry, "For Aslan and for Narnia!" The Ogre turned toward him then gurgled as Rhindon rammed into his chest. Peter wrenched the sword free and stabbed the brute in the heart with his next thrust. The Ogre weaved almost drunkenly before toppling backward. He didn't move again.

Peter automatically cleaned Rhindon with jerky, hurried movements then he ran to where Edmund still lay motionless. "No. Edmund! Edmund! Philip! Is he...is he..."

The Horse snuffled Edmund's dark hair then raised his head slightly. "He still lives, but he is badly injured."

"Oh Ed. I'm so sorry." Peter carefully turned Edmund over, wincing when he heard his brother's low, pain-filled moan, and then his breath caught. There was blood around Edmund's mouth and dripping from his nose and ears. "Philip!" The Horse was already lowering himself to the ground. Peter bit his lip as he listened to Edmund's pained moans and labored breathing. He probably had internal injuries, broken ribs...oh Aslan, what if one of his lungs was punctured? He took care to keep his grip light as he held Edmund in front of him as Philip stood. "Hurry, Philip! We have to get him back to the Cair!" The Horse snorted then raced through the woods.

Only a mile left before they reached the Cair, but Peter feared it would be too late for Edmund. Then Peter heard Edmund's breathing stop for one terrifying moment. _Aslan! Aslan, please! Keep him alive._ Not wanting to yell, he pressed his mouth against Edmund's ear and whispered, "Hang on, Eddie. Just hang on. I know it hurts, but we're almost home. The healers will patch you up and you won't hurt anymore, I promise. Just hang on, Eddie."

Edmund was worsening by the minute. By the time, Peter saw the gleaming walls of Cair Paravel, Edmund had stopped breathing five different times and he wasn't moaning anymore. Philip galloped into the courtyard and Peter shouted, "Get Lucy! He needs the cordial!"

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Peter sat on the foot of Edmund's bed and watched his brother breathing steadily. Thank Aslan, Lucy's cordial had worked once again. Oreius entered the room and came to stand beside him, "That was a foolish thing to do, your majesty, especially after nearly eight years of learning _why_ such things are foolish."

Peter hung his head, "I know, Oreius."

"Then you also know that you are not at fault for what the Ogre did."

Peter looked up and met the compassionate gaze of the Centaur then gave a curt nod. "I know and you can depend on Edmund to pound that into my head until I finally stop blaming myself. But still..."

"Peter, you great lummox, the world isn't all about you."

Peter whipped back around to face his brother, who was glaring at him, "What?"

"You don't cause everything to go wrong, so you can't take credit for that bloody Ogre. Or do we need to replace Kat's Law of Murphy with a Law of Peter?"

Peter chuckled, barely noticing as Oreius withdrew, "I thought you were going to die on me this time...we would have been safer just walking on the railing of your balcony."

Edmund smirked then his eyes widened and he tried to wiggle down further under the covers. Peter tensed as he turned to see Susan fuming. "Peter William Pevensie! You can't seriously be considering taking our brother on to the balcony and trying to get yourselves killed in a ridiculous attempt to walk on the railing? Edmund hasn't even recovered from this mess with the Ogre. And, three of your ribs are cracked. How old are you, anyway? And, just how many times must I tell the two of you not to walk, run, balance, weave, or hang on or from the balcony railings?"

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**A/N: Please Read and Review!**


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